Mary Walshok, author, educator and job creation expert was the special guest for this meeting over dinner organised in co-operation with the Institute of Directors and the Northern Ireland Science Park. An associate vice-chancellor of public programs at the University of California San Diego, Dr Walshok is an industrial social scientist studying the dynamics of regional economic growth and transformation. She is a subject expert on employability, career re-invention and the innovation economy.
While focusing on the concept of "innovation clusters" and how to scale up and create jobs from the nursery products they generate, this discussion also addressed the broader question of how, by bringing the interests of the private and public sectors to bear, Northern Ireland might capitalise on its propinquity as a region where "the right people" tend to know, or know of each other -- people who can be brought round a table to talk about our capabilities as a region and how energise them.
This was one in occasional series of informal chief executives' meetings over dinner. A report of the meeting will be published later in the autumn.
For more information, contact Alvin McKinley, (T) 02890 347400.
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